Buying a better franchise and particularly operating a successful franchise is a work in progress.  The work begins the minute you and your family decide owning your own franchise business is the career path you want to take. The work doesn't end until the day you sell your business and retire to the some far off land.

In between, will be the daunting process of choosing the right franchise for you and the continuous ups and downs of owning a business.  You will work through the process of analysis with the UFOC (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular), the pain-staking process of calling current franchisees - asking all the right questions, you'll network with fellow franchise owners choosing a few to help mentor you, you'll go through your initial training and then more training and you'll spend extra hours working with and training your employees.

TWO STEPS TO BUYING A BETTER FRANCHISE 

Our focus here is to talk about the two Steps necessary to buying a better franchise.  You want to eliminate the guesswork as best you can, save your sanity, and preserve your bank account. 

1.  Too many aspiring entrepreneurs jump into this life decision without taking a serious look at themselves,  To get the results you want, you must first set an agenda.  You must be able to assess your dreams, desires and aspirations.  Can you clarify your mission, your purpose, and your goals?  

 Being fulfilled in what you do is intensely personal.  The obvious might be a great franchise business, making enough money, or a certain lifestyle. You will need to get deeper.  In the long run, it really isn't about how much money you make or the material things you can buy...it's about what fills your heart and soul. It, then, becomes about reaching your full potential. 

2.  You need to discover where you are at today and how you got there.  What is your life purpose or mission, values, principles or personal beliefs?  There are no right  or wrong answers.  It is simply about getting to know what rocks your boat. 

Where do you want to make a difference in your life?  In your work environment, where have you had challenges?  Where do you usually get stuck?  When you were able to overcome these obstacles, what worked for you?  You must learn to truly understand yourself and what works for you. 

Once you have set an agenda and a timeframe and truly looked within you and what makes you tick, you will have a far greater chance of success not only in choosing the right franchise opportunity but also operating a successful franchise business.

The kids are back in school or about to go back to school and you anticipate some free time.  As with most Americans today, your family is challenged at the end of every month to pay your bills.  Wherever you go, whatever you do, the price of anything is higher. 

You've considered getting a part-time job but the hours aren't necessarily yours to choose and they conflict with the kids getting out of school.  You've had discussions with your husband about buying a home based business opportunity or franchise business but your not sure where to start.  Do you have enough in savings to buy and support a new business opportunity?

Business ownership for women has been growing significantly.  In fact, the number of women-owned-businesses grew at twice the national rate for all privately held companies from 1997 to 2002, according to census data.  Most women want and need flexibility to work around the busy schedules of their young family.

Franchising may be the easiest way for a women to buy a home based business or retail franchise.  Typically, franchises have a proven operating system, tried and true, after years of trial and error.  They have made the mistakes for you and learned from them.  While success in a franchise is not guaranteed, you'll have a better chance of success.

Non-franchise business opportunities offer a license to operate a business as opposed to a franchise. The regulatory bodies behind offering licensing agreements aren't as stringent as with a franchise. You will need to use caution and protect yourself as well as you can. 

Check out the business opportunity with the Attorney General, consumer protection agency and with the Better Business Bureau in your state.  Research any complaints the business may have had.

Also, visit other locations, if possible, and ask questions of the owner.  Make sure there is a demand for the product or service you're offering.

If you're considering buying a home based business franchise or business opportunity make sure you are offered training and ongoing support to keep you on pace.  There are about 2900 franchise concepts for you to choose from so do your homework before you make this big decision.

If you love working with children and are looking for a franchise opportunity you can operate either from a retail location or home based, why not look into a franchise in the children's services industry?

The education industry in particular has seen dramatic growth and, as a result, created new and exciting opportunities for thousands of individuals from every walk of life.  Education of children within a franchise business while discerning parents turn to private education providers to help their children excel in school has turned into a booming industry.

Following are a few Child Education franchises offering business opportunities to candidates with great interpersonal skills and the love of children.  You don't need to be an educator to open a educational franchise business. 

KUMON Education Franchise - Kumon Learning Centers help children master math and reading skills.  One of the largest and most established franchise businesses in the world.  Cash Requirement: $30K - $110K

Club Z In-home Tutoring Franchise -  Club Z! Tutoring Services is the world's largest one-on-one tutoring program. Our tutors have helped over 200,000 students improve their grades, raise their test scores, learn productive study skills, build their academic self-confidence, and reach their full potential.  Cash Requirement: $32K - 65.5K

Chyten Educational Franchise -  Chyten Education Franchise is widely considered the premier provider of private educational services in the nation. The Chyten franchise owner has the strongest support team ever assembled in the education industry. Chyten is truly a great quality of life opportunity.  Cash Requirement:  $77K - $204K

Mathnasium Franchise -  Mathnasium franchise has no equal when it comes to Math learning centers. We are the learning center where students go year-round to boost their math skills. Franchising since 2003, whether in the U.S. or around the globe, Mathnasium is changing the way children learn math.  Cash Requirement:  $55K - $75K

Huntington Learning Center Franchise -  The award winning Huntington Learning Center is the pioneer and leader in the franchise learning/tutoring center industry. We provide quality instruction to tens of thousands of students in kindergarten through 12th grade.  Cash Requirement:  $203K - $394K

Omega Learning Center Franchise -  Omega offers you a "Business in a Box" that automates your scheduling, communication, and curriculum!  Cash Requirement:  $109K - $147K

A home based franchise is a smart choice for many women business owners, since the training, marketing and in many cases the name-recognition are all built in. Many home-based franchises are service-based, drawing on the strengths many women naturally possess i.e. managing people, organizing, networking and coordinating many tasks at once. Some women's franchises market to women as their customers, such as spas, weight-loss and women's fitness businesses. Other women's franchises involve areas traditionally handled by women, such as teaching, care-giving and cleaning. But whether the home-based business concept is ground-breaking or tried-and-true, franchising for women is an exciting choice with many options.

Here are some of the top home based women's franchises, starting with the lowest investment and working up to the highest:

Kinderdance - this large, fast-growing program for children provides education in dance, motor development, gymnastics, music and fitness. The minimum investment is $12,000 and the company can help with financing. The franchise is home-based, with instructors going to teach at locations such as schools and community center so no storefront is required.

Club Z! - the nation's largest in-home tutoring service assists students from preschool to adult with in-home or on-site teaching by qualified instructors. The minimum investment is $24,000. The owner manages and schedules the tutors from home so no storefront or retail location is needed.

CLIX Portrait Studios offering multiple revenue streams centering on children and families. The minimum investment is $26,235 and franchisees can choose from studio, on-location or both options.

Mad Science - with a twenty-year track record, this hands-on educational program is in high demand for kids ages 3-13. The franchise contract is for ten years and the minimum investment is $38,400 with worldwide availability. The company has a third party available to help with financing. Programs are run at birthday parties, schools, clubs and more so no retail location is required.

KidzArt - Entrepreneur magazine rated this the top-ranked art franchise in 2006. The program encourages children to become creative thinkers, and also features display options for parents to purchase on-site and online. The program is portable and operates at schools, camps and parties as well as in after-school settings. Worldwide opportunities are now beginning with protected territories. The minimum investment is $45,000 and a third party is available to help with financing.

YoNaturals the pioneer in healthy vending machine snacks with state-of-the-art equipment for retailing and dispensing top-selling 100% organic and natural brands in such specialty stores as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. The company assists with getting machines placed in appropriate locations such as health clubs, hospitals, schools and more. The minimum investment is $50,000 for five vending machines. Product is shipped to the franchise owners' home for distribution to the vending locations.

Maid to Perfection - this franchise has the added benefit of a "cross-market concept, offering both residential and commercial cleaning, with additional services such as carpet and window cleaning for greater profit possibilities. The franchise owner manages the business and the employees do the actual cleaning. The minimum investment is $50,000 with additional opportunities for multi-unit ownership.

DoodyCalls a pet-centered home-based franchise with a minimum investment of $60,000 and financing available through a third party. Franchises are available in all states with the exception of Hawaii. The franchise is home-based with service teams dispatched in specially decorated GPS-equipped vehicles. Possible clients include private residences as well as property management services.

Super Soccer Stars a sports-based franchised started by Gustavo Szulansky, a native of Argentina and father of three. The program helps children develop motor skills, listening skills and also a lifelong love of physical activity. The minimum investment is $65,000 and available in all states except Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota. Classes, mini-camps, birthday parties and special education programs are run on location.

My Gym Children's Fitness Center the most innovative program in children's educational fitness with franchises available both domestically and internationally. The minimum investment is $107,875 with classes, camps and birthday parties happening at retail locations with mobile franchises also available for a lower start-up cost.

N8 Touch a massage therapy franchise with three unique concepts. The franchise's N8tures Therapy Centers offer in-house services that include massage, health and wellness and chiropractic services. The minimum investment is $125,000, with smaller start-up costs for portable Relaxst8tions and Relaxst8tions2go. Franchises are available in the United States and in Australia.

A larger investment doesn't necessarily mean a larger chance of success. As in any venture success depends on many factors, but an ambitious woman determined to succeed may find lots of advantages to being a home-based franchise owner.

Operating a home based franchise from the comfort of your own home. 

There are at least 175 franchises that will allow you to work from home.   Very typically home based franchises are low investment franchising concepts that may include child tutoring franchise opportunities, travel and cruise opportunities, direct mail franchises like Money Mailer or Monthly Coupons, lawn care franchises, mobile auto repair, carpet cleaning and many more.

The Advantages of a Home Based Franchise

Home Based businesses offer several advantages outside of the convenience of working from home and having no commute.  They include: 

• Low Investment.  When you work from home, you don't have a lease obligation, signage expense, utilities, insurance, and other expenses associated with a retail or office based location.
• Time.  Your hours are highly flexible and you have no commute time.  No commute means lower gas bills as well. 
• Child Care.  A home based franchise alleviates the problem of having to drop your children off at a day care service. 
• Taxes.  The IRS allows deductions for home based businesses.
• Lower Risk.  If risk tolerance is a concern, you will not have the concerns over long term leases for retail space, signage, equipment, and other expenses that may require a personal signature.

Disadvantages of owning a Home Based Business

Owning a home based franchise is not for everyone.  It requires a certain personality to sustain a consistent level of work with all the distractions that come with working from home.

• Isolation.  If you have been used to working at an office where there is a lot of comraderie and you enjoyed it, you may find yourself missing that benefit. 
• Distractions.  The dogs are barking, your neighbor is knocking at the front door, the lawn care service is mowing your lawn.  These are all distractions that can throw off your train of thought. 
• Cabin Fever.  When you work out of your home, 24/7, and combine that with other activities all done from your home, you can get cabin fever. 
• Passion sometimes comes from the energy around you.  Certain personalities require the energy and motivation of others to perform.  Pumping yourself up and getting excited about a project all on your own is another dimension.
• Perception.  Hard to imagine, but some people perceive those that work from their homes as less than prefessional and give them little credibility.

Do you have what it takes to work from home?

Before you begin your due diligence in finding a home based franchise, you may want to ask yourself some of these questions:

1. Are you self-motivated and have the discipline to work hard from home everyday?
2. Family Support - If you have young children, you are going to need some help. 
3. Home Office space - What will the business require of your home?  Can you isolate yourself away from family to allow yourself to work in a pleasing environment?
4. The Neighborhood.  How do your neighbors feel about you operating a business within your home?  Do city and county codes permit your business to operate in your neighborhood?  Different businesses have different needs.

Owning a home based franchise requires a lot of hard work and a passion towards success.  Some of the top home based businesses that may give you an opportunity to succeed are as follows:  Vending Machine businesses, ChemDry, Budget Blinds, Blue Coast Financial Group, ServiceMaster Clean, Kinderdance, and Gigglemedia.

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